MetLife Building: A Midtown Manhattan Landmark

The MetLife Building, located at 200 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, is a 59-story skyscraper that has been a fixture of the New York City skyline since its completion in 1963. Designed in the International Style by Emery Roth & Sons, with Richard Roth as lead architect, in association with Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi, the building was originally named the Pan Am Building, serving as the headquarters for Pan American World Airways. The building's history is intertwined with the development of the Grand Central Terminal area. Proposals for a skyscraper above Grand Central Terminal were made in 1954 to raise money for the struggling railroads that operated the terminal. The MetLife Building was constructed on top of two levels of railroad tracks leading into Grand Central Terminal. The building's elongated octagonal massing, with its longer axis perpendicular to Park Avenue, was a result of the 1961 Zoning Resolution. The facade is one of the first precast concrete exterior walls in a building in New York City. Upon its opening, the MetLife Building was the world's largest commercial office building by square footage. The building featured a rooftop heliport that operated from 1960 to 1977. In 1981, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) purchased the building and used it as their headquarters. While the building has been criticized for its impact on the view of Park Avenue, it remains a significant example of International Style architecture and a major commercial hub in Midtown Manhattan.